No. 22 Utah State looks to continue its unbeaten start in Mountain West play on Wednesday when it travels to Las Vegas for a matchup against struggling UNLV.
Utah State (16-1, 6-0 MW) is coming off a thrilling win against Boise State on Saturday night, as Ian Martinez converted a go-ahead four-point play with seven seconds remaining to secure an 81-79 victory.
The finish was reminiscent of Utah State’s 87-86 win at UNLV last January, when Great Osobor completed a five-point play with eight seconds remaining to thwart a Runnin’ Rebels upset attempt.
The Aggies may have lost coach Danny Sprinkle and Osobor — last season’s Mountain West Player of the Year — to Washington, but they still have that late-game magic that carried them to a regular-season conference title a season ago.
“It felt like forever,” Martinez said of Saturday’s game-winning play. “I was just there on the ground watching it, hoping it went in. It bounced about five times on the rim. It was crazy. I couldn’t believe it.”
The Aggies’ only loss this season came against UC San Diego on Dec. 17. That was a 75-73 home defeat, though Utah State responded with a 75-68 win at Saint Mary’s in its next game on Dec. 22. Utah State proceeded to earn a win over then-No. 20 San Diego State in its Mountain West road opener, downing the Aztecs 67-66 on Dec. 28.
Martinez leads Utah State with 16.8 points per game, replacing Osobor as the primary scoring option. Martinez was a key member of the Utah State group that won a game in the NCAA Tournament last season and is the Aggies’ most prominent returning player. Mason Falslev is another key returner, and he is trailing Martinez with 16.4 points per game while averaging a team-high 6.2 rebounds as a combo guard.
UNLV (9-7, 3-2) is in the middle of another disappointing campaign after a string of costly losses kept it out of the NCAA Tournament last season. The Runnin’ Rebels once again don’t appear destined for the tourney this season under coach Kevin Kruger.
UNLV enters Wednesday’s matchup coming off consecutive 22-point losses at Boise State and at Colorado State. The Runnin’ Rebels went 6-5 in nonconference play, failing to register any statement wins but also avoiding any catastrophic losses.
“We’ll just take a punch, and it takes us a while to get up off the mat,” Kruger said. “That’s something that, when your confidence is shaken a bit, it’s one of the effects. We just got to get back in the gym, keep working. It’s a long season. Obviously, the last two games we didn’t want to play that way, but at the same time, we get an opportunity to take a deep breath … recharge and get back in the gym.”
Dedan Thomas Jr. is UNLV’s offensive catalyst, averaging a team-high 16.1 points and 4.4 assists per game. Jaden Henley (12.0 points per game) and Jailen Bedford (10.8) also have scoring averages in double figures.
–Field Level Media
